Rail-splitting machine.



W. G. OWEN.

HAIL SPLITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IUIY Imsw.

Lm@ meme@ III'W. 27, IIIII.

WILLIAM G. OWEN, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

RAILSFLITTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, 191?.

Application filed July S, `1915. Serial No. 38,755.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. OWEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of 2167 lSherwood Ave., Louisville, in the county of Jefferson, State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RailfSplitting hilachines, of which the following is a full, true, and exact specii'cation.

My invention relates to improvements in railsplitting machines, and Vhas for its principal object, to provide a machine of such arrangement and construction as to be able to cold split old rails and the like into other commercial shapes which may beutilized for purposes other than rails.

A further object is to provide. a novel form of cutter for my machine.

Asis well known, when a railA has been worn beyond the point of safety for railway transportation, the portion of the rail most worn is usually the head, and thationly to a limited extent from the effect of wheel tires wearing the top surface` of the `rail head-the other portions of the rail, viz., the web and base, are usually in as good manufactured.

Obviously then, if the old rail material can be utilized in some practical and economical manner without having to go through the process of first re-melting-a considerable saving must result.

rllhis invention, therefore, may possibly be principally used for the purpose of converting old rail sections to some other forms of utility.

To illustrate the uses of the machine, when dealing with old rails, it may be noted for instance that if the head of the rail is separated from the web for the whole length or part of the length of the rail a rough bar is produced which can be rolled down into many kinds of finished products, such as small rounds or squares, flats, ovals, hoops or wire rods.

If the head and base of the rail are separated from the web, then the rail section is divided into three bars, each capable of being manipulated into a great variety of iinished products.

Again by separating only the head of the rail, the remaining portion of the rail section, forms a T section ready for use, which can be built up into excellent joists, Orother constructional shapes. The foregoing are mentioned for the purpose of showing a few instances of the great many uses and methods of usingup old rails and also other sectional material, which is rendered practicable by the machine herein after described. l y

It is distinctly understood that other sections than rails can be dealt with by the machine and also other objects as will appear'.

In the drawings Figure l is a plan view of my device shown operating on a rail. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3

is an enlarged section elevation of one of the rotary cutters of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, numeral 1 indicates frame members which are located in parallel relation to each other.

Frame members support mandrels A and B, each of which consists of bearing shafts 2 and 8, mounted in the frames 1, in suitw able bearing blocks, and an intermediate shaft 4A. Shafts,` 2, 3 and el are joined by screw sleeves 5, which screw on to the ends of the connecting shafts.

Assembled upon shafts 1l of mandrel A are the cutter wheels 6, their side supporting plates 7 and fillers S. The fillers 8, may be of varying widths and are used to give a proper spacing to cutters 6 and to lill out to sleeves 5. l

By simply unscrewing sleeves 5, the shaft 4l and its assembled cutters, etc., may be lifted out.

Cutter' G may be made solid, sectional or integral, with side plates 7 as desired, but

I prefer a ring having annular grooves 9 on either side into which the annular rims 10 on plates 7 fit snugly and hold the cutter in proper alinement.

The mandrels A are in pairs, one above the other, and the rail 11 to be cut is run between them, thus making opposite cuts 12 on the rail.

Cutter 6 may be of a hard steel or of an abrasive substance as desired and may be made to revolve at any desired speed ratio to the rail speed. Straightening rolls for use with crooked rails may be used in Connection with the cutters if desired.

After the rails pass between the cutter rolls they go to the breaker rolls 13 above and 14 below, which spread and break the rail along the cuts 12 left by the cutters. The top breaker roll is mounted upon mandrel B similarly to the Cutter wheels, and is of such shape as to press and bend the head and base of the rail from the web. The lower breaker roll let fits beneath the web only and does not touch the head or base.

The lower roll is secured to its mandrel similarly to roll 13.

Above the bearings of shafts 2 are false riders 15, of such strength as to be easily broken by an excess of pressure.

I-Iand screws 16, bear against riders 15 and adjust the spacing of the rolls and cutters.

Gears 17 and 1S are secured to the shaft 2 and are adapted to drive the breaking rolls and the cutter wheels independently of each other from a source of power not shown.

My cutter and breaking rolls may be arranged in multiple longitudinally, or may be arranged vertically in units so that one rail is being cut while traveling to the right by one cutter and at the same time another rail may be cut by the opposite side of the cutter while traveling in opposite direction.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction and operation of my improved device will be fully understood by one skilled in the art.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention, I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I therefore desire to avoid being limited to the exact form shown and described, except as pointed out in the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent s- 1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a pair of parallel cutter rolls mounted in spaced relationship with each other on parallel shafts, a pair of simii rolls and broken apart by the said breaker rolls while in the cold state. Y

2. In a device of the character described the combination of pairs of parallel cutting wheels adjustably mounted upon mandrels, said mandrels including a three part shaft, two parts of which take bearing side frames, the third part affording support for the cutting wheels and screw sleeves whereby the said shafts are united, a pair of breaker rollsl including an upper spreading roll having tapered ends and a lowersupporting roll somewhat narrower than the spreading roll, and means for causing the said rolls and cutters to rotate, whereby a cold rail maybe longitudinally grooved by the said cutters and broken along the said grooves by the said breaker rolls.

3. In a device ofthe character described including side frames, parallel three section cutters and breaker roll shafts adjustably mounted in said frames, the combination of false riders between said bearings and; adjusting screws whereby the said shafts may be relieved of undue pressure by the breaking vof said false riders, breaker rolls upon thesaid breaker roll shafts, circular cutters -upon the said cutter shafts, said cutters including a tapered cutter ring having an annular `groove on either side,side plates on either side of said ring, a flange upon each side plate adapted to fit into the said annular groove in the ring, fillers'between ad# jacent side plates and screw sleeves on either end of the cutter shaft, whereby the said filler rings, side plate and rings are secured to the said shaft.

WILLIAM e, owen.

Copies of` this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

` Washington, D. C. 

